Our thanksgiving day – every Cursillo

by Joe McCloskey, sj

Cursillo is not an organization as much as it is a community united in Christ. When we speak of the church, as the people of God, we know the Cursillo as the little church of the people of God. The people of Cursillo are truly able to say to one another “the Christ of my heart recognizes the Christ of your heart.”  The proof of the pudding is in the way that they give hours when we could have expected moments. Their hearts have been opened to us when we least expected it. People who surpass our dreams challenge our generosity.

When we look at the spiritual journey of people today, we see many brothers and sisters who began their journey in a Cursillo weekend. The charismatic renewal, marriage encounter, and so many other movements of the church of god’s love have their beginning as an offshoot of the vine called Cursillo.

Sharing Life

We are thankful that the Cursillo did not lock itself into a back room of a church. That Cursillo has been an opening into many wonderful ways to find Christ and to share him. The beauty of the Cursillo is that it’s not limited to people who are of a certain age, culture, background, or professional life. It’s open to white- and blue-collar people, to people of every walk of life, no matter whether they are rich or poor. Cursillo is about life, living it to the full. (Jn10:10). It’s about friendships that share Christ and make life worthwhile in sharing him. Cursillo is a lived out challenge to change the world that we’re living in by passing on Christ to one another. The old adage “You can only have what you give away” is especially true about Cursillo. Its life and growth are totally dependent on an open heart and a readiness to share with each person that comes into our life the wonder and the mystery of Christ.

  We’re thankful for all the times that we have been able to put on a weekend, and the excitement and the new life that we pick up by sharing Christ’s life as another person becomes part of our life, and we theirs.

Leading Their Friends To Christ

Cursillistas give their real selves to one another. We’re thankful that Cursillo is not limited to a weekend, but really takes form in the fourth day called “The Rest Of Our Life.” As we prepare to celebrate the millennium, we’re thankful that we have a way to make our celebration a rich gift to the God of our hearts. In people’s willingness and desire to share Christ in the millennium, we have something to offer them. In our Cursillo weekends we have a ready-made way to offer our thanks to God for the 2000 years of His life in the Church. The Cursillo weekend is our chance to make that life exciting to others.

  The millennium celebration is making Eucharist the center of the life of the church. Eucharist is a giving thanks. We give thanks that we have never had a boring Cursillo mass. Perhaps the reason for that is the way music has been part of the Cursillo. Rarely do you see men sing as ardently and as loud as in a celebration of the Cursillo.

Eucharist

To have a special Eucharist to celebrate our Cursillo next Thanksgiving where we invite all those people who have ever made a Cursillo to come together, is a fitting way to give thanks to Christ for all that he has done for and through us. To bring together all those people who have something to be thankful for in their Cursillo and post-Cursillo life, make Cursillo truly a Eucharist to our heavenly Father. For all that he has given us in this life, and for all that he has done in and through us, we give thanks.

  We give thanks, Lord, for our Cursillo and for all the Cursillos that we have been part of. We give thanks for all the ways the Cursillo has been able to reach beyond itself in its many forms, in the different Christian churches and in the Youth Encounters to give Christ a fleshing out in the word made flesh of our lives.

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